The "Explosive Growth" of Jihadism in the Netherlands

"The increasing momentum of Dutch jihadism poses an unprecedented threat to the democratic legal order of the Netherlands." — Dutch intelligence service, AIVD.

"For adherents unable or unwilling to join the armed struggle in Syria or elsewhere, social media offers a form of involvement that allows them to identify themselves as jihadists... without actually having to fight. After all, the movement also considers 'dawah' -- preaching the 'call to Islam" -- a form of jihad." — Dutch intelligence service, AIVD.

"Social media has made it possible for a person to go far more quickly from being a passive recipient of jihadist propaganda messages to a sympathizer and then a supporter... Some are also known to have been involved in atrocities, such as beheading prisoners... social media has changed the structure of the and cohesions of the jihadist movement... it has taken on the characteristics of a swarm (in the group behavior sense)." — Dutch intelligence service, AIVD.

"The jihadist movement can only genuinely be disrupted, in a way that prevents the emergence of new guiding figures and structures, if such efforts [not one-off actions] are maintained over an extended period." — Dutch intelligence service, AIVD.

"Dutch jihadists are convinced that the caliphate is not some utopian dream but an achievable reality for Syria and other Muslim nations -- and even for the Netherlands." — Dutch intelligence service, AIVD.

The home-grown jihadist movement in the Netherlands is experiencing sudden and explosive growth, according to a new report published by the Dutch intelligence service, AIVD.

The Dutch jihadist movement is not only growing in size and strength, it is also becoming increasingly open and provocative, both online and on the streets, according to the report, which warns that the increasing momentum of Dutch jihadism poses an unprecedented threat to the democratic legal order of the Netherlands.

The 58-page report, entitled "The Transformation of Jihadism in the Netherlands: Swarm Dynamics and New Strength," provides an in-depth analysis of the various factors underlying the "new dynamism" of the jihadist phenomenon.

According to the AIVD, the Dutch jihadist movement began a process of far-reaching change in late 2010, when several jihadists were prevented from leaving the Netherlands to join fellow jihadists in Pakistan and Somalia.

Their subsequent interactions with Dutch police and judicial authorities prompted the jihadists and other members of their networks to improve their modus operandi, which eventually led to a wholesale internal professionalization of the movement.

At the same time, Dutch jihadists began adopting propaganda methods developed by fellow jihadists in Britain. Inspired by Islam4UK, a now-banned jihadist group founded by the British Islamist firebrand Anjem Choudary, Dutch jihadists launched their own activist movements, namely Sharia4Holland and Behind Bars/Street Dawah (Straat Dawah).

"By making use of activist techniques like demonstrations and leafleting to disseminate provocative jihadist propaganda openly, these groups were able to mobilize some fellow Muslims and attract new recruits," according to the AIVD. "Many young people, in particular, found a way of venting their jihadist ideals through such activities."

Social media has added another entirely new dynamic into Dutch jihadism. Beyond allowing far more intensive flows of information and communications between jihadists, both domestically and internationally, social media has also changed the nature of those flows.

Before the emergence of social media, information flowed vertically (hierarchical) from one to many. By contrast, information on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter flows horizontally (peer-to-peer) from many to many, thus greatly expanding opportunities for interactivity. According to the AIVD:

"Jihadists are constantly influencing one another through social media. Young people undergoing radicalization trawl Facebook in search of like-minded individuals and post jihadist material on their own profiles, thus influencing their own circle of friends. On Twitter, jihadists debate quite openly with each other and with their critics, who often face abuse or worse. They also post photographs of Dutch fighters in Syria on Facebook, which are then shared by members of jihadist communities. Lectures are announced as Facebook events, too, so that potential attendees can see whether people they know will be there as well. The Dutch jihadist world has become simultaneously large, small and fast-moving."

Social media has also enhanced jihadist recruitment efforts:

"For adherents unable or unwilling to join the armed struggle in Syria or elsewhere, such activity provides another form of involvement that allows them to identify themselves as jihadists. It is their way of being part of 'Syria,' or the 'holy war' in general, without actually having to fight. After all, the movement also considers 'dawah'—preaching the 'call to Islam'—a form of jihad. This parity strengthens the links between those who stay at home to practice dawah and those who leave to fight.

"There is no doubt that the chance of coming into contact with jihadism—particularly on social media—has increased substantially in recent years. Consequently, it has become possible for a person to go far more quickly from being a passive recipient of its propaganda messages to a sympathizer and then a supporter. There is also a real danger that such new 'online jihadists' might continue radicalizing to the point where they actually commit acts of violence or leave for a conflict zone. In fact, this is exactly how many of the Dutch fighters now in Syria came to be there. They evolved very quickly from followers at home to front-line jihadists. The AIVD has established that a large proportion of them have been trained in Syria in the use of weapons and have taken part in actual combat. Some are also known to have been involved in atrocities, such as beheading prisoners."

The Dutch-Turkish jihadist known as Yilmaz, pictured in Syria, has proven adept at the use of social media for jihadist "public relations".

According to the AIVD, social media has changed the structure and cohesion of the jihadist movement in the Netherlands to such an extent that it has taken on the characteristics of a "swarm" (in the group behavior sense of the word). This means that it is highly decentralized, with numerous individual elements that are largely autonomous. Collectively, however, they maintain their cohesion and direction almost as if a single entity.

"The jihadist swarm may be very dynamic and changeable, but it still knows how to move like one tightly ordered body, despite sometimes seeming capricious and unpredictable," the report says, adding:

"The upshot of all this is that government attempts to tackle particular jihadist individuals or structures will probably have considerably less effect now upon the movement as a whole than they previously would have done. Particularly when they are one-off actions. The movement can only genuinely be disrupted, in a way that prevents the emergence of new guiding figures and structures, if such efforts are maintained over an extended period."

In addition to the internal and structural developments that have transformed Dutch jihadism, several contextual factors, both domestic and international, have also contributed to its growth.

Domestically, Dutch Salafism has undergone an important ideological shift.

Salafism is a movement that calls on Muslims to return to the form of Islam that was practiced at its inception. Its adherents reject many of the ideas and customs that have become part of Islamic tradition in subsequent centuries.

Present-day Salafism has three main strands: apolitical, political and jihadi. All three pursue the same ultimate objective: the establishment of a society based solely upon the tenets of "pure" Islam.

Unlike their jihadi counterpart, however, the apolitical and political strands argue that the principal means of reaching this goal should be "dawah," or the "call to Islam" in the form of preaching and proselytization. By contrast, jihadi Salafism prioritizes the "necessity" of violent jihad.

In recent years, a new group of dawah Salafist preachers has emerged in the Netherlands who are more radical than their predecessors, and who have effectively blurred the lines between dawah Salafism and jihadism. The AIVD explains:

"Theirs is a radical message, which not only promulgates intolerance but also smooths over the ideological differences between dawah Salafism and jihadism in respect of the legitimacy of the 'holy war.' These preachers do not consider themselves part of a movement separate from that of the jihadis (a distinction the established dawah Salafists draw far more clearly). And it is they who exert the greatest influence over young people with jihadist tendencies or sympathies.

"Due in part to the emergence of preachers operating outside the established non-violent tradition, dawah Salafism has now become something of a breeding ground for jihadism in the Netherlands."

Internationally, the conflict in Syria, which began in March 2011, has acted as a catalyst, amplifying the effects of all of the other developments to produce an explosive growth of jihadism in the Netherlands.

According to the AIVD, the large numbers of Dutch jihadists travelling to Syria show that "this particular conflict has significantly reduced the barriers to active participation in jihad." It adds that the propaganda generated by the conflict is fuelling the growth of an "assertive Dutch jihadism" in which jihadist groups are "deliberately pushing at the boundaries of what is permissible under Dutch law."

The AIVD concludes with a warning:

"Already, reports of jihadists' supposed progress in Syria in establishing an Islamic caliphate under Sharia law are having a visible effect in the Netherlands, in that they are further radicalizing backers of that ultimate goal. Emanating primarily from groups like [the Islamic State], such stories convince supporters and sympathizers that the caliphate is not some utopian dream but an achievable reality for Syria and other Muslim nations—and even for the Netherlands."

Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-basedGatestone Institute. He is also Senior Fellow for European Politics at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos / Strategic Studies Group. Follow him onFacebook and onTwitter.

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12 Reader Comments

MaxtheDrive • Nov 9, 2014 at 16:33

Any reader of history is aware of the forced expulsions, pogroms, abuses, murders, mass extermination the Jewish people were subjected to across Europe. Starting with the outlandish lies told by St. Chrystosom in the 4th Century, to the expulsions of Jews from England (1290), Spain (1492), to the Nazi death camps, these horrific events serve as a historical reminder what lies, mythos, and evil can do. The result is hesitancy to respond to real threats.

Jihadists are not innocent shopkeepers who were pushed around, starved, beaten, and denied economic security across Europe and Russia. They are fanatics, and enemies - within European (and North American) societies who wish to destroy freedom and choice, economic stability, and any competing ideology.
The world cannot make the mistake that expelling these individuals to the Syrian border under armed guard is the equivalent of a new pogrom against a whole people. If anything, it will prevent one.

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David Olds • Nov 7, 2014 at 12:48

If what the Dutch have been doing "for a long period of time" has only allowed the problem to get worse how will continuing to do it "for a long period of time" stop the problem? Has their approach changed? If so how?

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julea bacall • Nov 3, 2014 at 22:09

I do not believe that Jihad should have freedom on the internet or anywhere. This is WWIII and these are the new Nazijihadists. Swarm action? That just means old fashioned MOB. It is Crazy to think this needs to be given Freedom of speech or press. Sorry, Hitler should have been banned earlier and so should this...no question...not Democratic Question, not legal Question...This "Movement" gets the same treatment as Hitlers Movement. Does ANYone think Hitler should have had Freedom? Lets get real and QUICKLY. Ban it from internet. search it out and destroy. Quickly.

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Dianne Norcott • Nov 3, 2014 at 04:19

It seems to me quite possible that what is transpiring in The Netherlands could be in an embryotic stage in my homeland, Australia or indeed in a host of other nations.I am not on Facebook or Twitter but if these forms of social media are used for harm why can't they be used for good, to give hope, godly strategies and what about addressing THE TRUTH that sets people free? It seems that the silent majority remains silent and unmoving, just like the frog in a kettle of water!!The greatest weapon that stupefies people is fear.We, in Australia, are barraged with terms such as "political correctness" and" discrimination" while being told we are multicultural instead of multi-racial and all the while fear is rampant across the land and an ideological Islamism spreads, in pockets, throughout this country with cunning and guile. Oh that we would wake up and learn from other countries before we slip into an abyss.

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Uzi Lowenthal • Nov 3, 2014 at 03:12

The problem is I imagine only going to get worse. Besides blaming the Jews and Israel, I imagine that Europe will find it extremely difficult if not impossible to deal with the problem. If the problem is not dealt with soon, Europe will lose its identity and freedom.I personally have no clever solutions ...... Wish you all the best.

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Michael Perry Uzi Lowenthal • Nov 3, 2014 at 10:03

One thing I think more people should do is to pressure social media sites to clamp down on messages that encourage Jihadism or other islamist hate groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and al Qaeda. One unfortunate byproduct of social media is its ability to spread hateful messages to ALL countries in the world.

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Nial Harding • Nov 3, 2014 at 01:27

The Swedish government some work in the late 1990's using General Morphological Analysis to examine delinquency in youth. Part of the finds was that youths taking part in these activities were doubly excluded, first generation youths that didn't fit into their old culture neither into the new culture. For some reason they're also particularly attracted to the Jihadist system - has any one looked further into this? Articles by Tom Ritchey may help with background.

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steven L • Nov 2, 2014 at 23:27

Holland had no problem to get rid of > 90% of their Jews once upon a time. With the Islamists it will be a whole different ball game!

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pinchas baram • Nov 2, 2014 at 08:37

Super-liberal Holland translates as no common ethic of right or wrong and no backbone in society, which translates as a moral vacuum. And so drugs, sex and the germ of jihad all find a happy home to fester and spread--and "swarm"-- as there is no healthy native resistance in the Netherlands. If there were such a resistance, it would be immediately hobbled by leftist screams that resistance is "racist!" and "islamophobic!"

This same dissection and analysis applies to other Western countries, notably the UK and Belgium.

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Steakman pinchas baram • Nov 5, 2014 at 11:48

As a Dutch born Canadian I take exception to your comment about Dutch backbone. We were fighting the Germans for a lot longer than Canada/US ever did albeit with a resistance - we did last 10 days against the Wehrmacht. (and grateful mind you of the Canadian army liberating us as well). As for legal drugs..seems to me the US has its own area's with that and I don't see a full blown moral degradation within those states.

There is plenty of Backbone in Holland..the problem is, as it is in all of Western Society, that each and every country has been ideologically subverted by Leftist Politically Correct Stupidity coupled with Multi-Culture - Diversity. In other words - Free Speech has been nullified - perfectly illustrated by Sweden's new law coming into effect in 2015: It will be illegal to criticize the govt on their immigration policy

Europe has been infiltrated by the Muslim Brotherhood as has every other Western country and allied themselves with said left.

But there are many that listen to one of the lone voices since 2004, Geert Wilders...have a listen sometime and get off your high horse..we are in this together.

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David Olds Steakman • Nov 7, 2014 at 13:18

It will be illegal to criticize holland's immigration policies?? That can't be true!If it is, it takes multicultural foolishness to a whole new level. I know everyone will disagree with me but more and more I see a supernatural intelligent and evil driving force behind all this. It's too methodical. This leads to that that leads to another with the outcome looking worse and worse.I haven't seen any real solutions reported anywhere. It's like I have lived too long and must witness the actual fall of western civilization theorized in many a youthful, usually drunken, bull session.

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Sientje Seinen pinchas baram • Nov 11, 2014 at 00:21

I take exception to the words that the Dutch have no backbone, The government has told the Islamic people to either learn to speak the language, adopt the customs of Holland or return to their own native land. As the Dutch people are feeling like alien citizens in their own land. And many Dutch people had the courage to withstand Hitler and saved many Jewish lives during the second world war. One should clean their own house and back yard first before criticizing their neighbours.